The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-17
TREASON AND MoRMOEIsM.


though false, is by no means new. L
continues to reassert itself, like som'
British peer in the Lords, not by reason
of any individual merit, but becarse o.
a spurious and Legitimate ancestor
ship. In law, imperfect titles be-
come vested after the lapse of a number
of years, while crimes and actions be-
come debarred by statutes OF hmlta-
tions. Tradition regulates IN other
things, what statutes regulate in law
charge, however, false, needs but age to
determine its truth; that innocence
must be proven and admitted at once,
or the period of limitation will be
reached when an alleged offense must
remain forever questioned. Like Mr..
HaIdcastle, the world loves not only
old wine and old bric-a-brac, but clings
tenaciously to old fables. 1t is
not little singular, by the way
that we should possess such
a galley-slsve reverence for the super
stitions and prejudices of our ancestors,
while esteeming so lightly their methods
of doing things. Prescription has de-
creed that MormonIsm is reasonable
but that is not the only mistake Of that
ancient hbeller. In seeking for the
origin of the charge, one may find
some lightin the history of the Missouri
troubles of the Saints.
Upon the trial of Joseph Smith, fol-
lowing the exterminating campaign of
the infamous Boggs, a number of wit
nesses were introduced in support of
the charge of treason. These witnesses
were Mormons, and were uniformly
asked: do the Mormons believe the
passage in the Book of Daniel wi, 81, |
which reads as follows: And the king
dom and dominion, and the greatness
of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people of the
Saints of the Most High, whose king
dom is an everlasting kingdom, and all
dominions shall serve and obey him. -
1t is related that upon being answered
in the affirmative, the judge, King, Or
dered the clerk to putt down as point
for treason. But, it is said, this was too
much for "even Missouri lawyer" and
a remonstrance was offered that it was |
equivalent to making the Bible treason; |
but the judge, with a suddeness and |
positiveness that reads like a page of
Utah Justice" refused to entertain the
objection, and the point stood as proof
of the reasonable designs of the
prophet. A few verses before the one
quoted we find the words, "But the
Saints of the Most High shall take the
kingdom for ever, even for ever and
ever"
Another point for treason might have
been elucidated by the question, do
you Mormons pray Our Father which
art in heaven. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven Fancy how strong a point
it would have been to have shown that
these reasonable Mormons not only
expected God to rule over the kingdom
under the whole heaven, but actually
prayed for it.
The holding of such beliefs, and
the entertaining of such desires
in Christian nation should
scarcely be sufficient to justify the stig-
ma OF treason. From Christian stand
point, the Mormons might be charged
with being presumptive in holding to
be the Saints of the Most High, but not
with being reasonable.
And from any standpoint, indeed,
how can people be called reasonable
or even unpstriotic, that, looking for
ward to an eventual reign of God over
the earth, yet teaches that the Ameri-
can Constitution emanated from him,
and was necessary preparatory mea-
sure2 he Mormons believe that igno-
rance and prejudice have dictated laws
and ruled courts, in dealing with them;
and while they deplore and suffer from
the bigotry of man, they remain the
stoutest defenders in the nation of what
that they conceive to be, and what are.
Constitutional principles. The Abo- ,
litionists of Boston, thirty years ago.
hslf-masted their flags when the slave s
Anthony Burns was escorted to the !
ship that was to convey him to
his southern master It was s
deemed reasonable, but the ,
event has determined otherwise. When /
the Mormon deprecstes the tyranny {
that takes from populous communities {
the right to regulate their own affairs. {
and the prejudice that is thereby ]
enabled TO voice itself in merciless laws, {
he lays himself open to the charge of
treason. Is it not possible that the {
event will determine his constitutional {
integrity as well as that OF the I
Abolitionists OF Bostonp